Mrs A complained about the care provided to her son by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (“the Health Board”) for his anaphylactic allergies.
She also complained about the Health Board’s handling of her complaint.
The Ombudsman found that the Health Board had not appropriately handled or responded to Mrs A’s complaint. Mrs A’s first complaint was closed without the Health Board informing her, there were unexplained delays and the final response did not clearly address the concerns about her request for a referral to an allergy centre. The Ombudsman said this caused uncertainty and frustration for Mrs A, and she decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement to, within 4 weeks, re-consider the referral request and issue a further response outlining its decision, and if the decision to refer is made, to do this within 2 weeks of that response.
The Health Board also agreed to, within 4 weeks, issue a written apology to Mrs A for the delay in responding to the complaint, to include an explanation for the delays and her first complaint being closed.